Qiao Xi immediately gave him a disdainful look, then raised an eyebrow and said, "How would you know about someone?"

Before she could finish speaking, Qi Jincheng suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, his gaze suddenly becoming deep as he stared at her, his deep voice questioning, "Why are you blocking my way?"

The sudden change caught Qiao Xi off guard. "What?"

"Why did Xi'er block my way just now?" Qi Jincheng repeated the question, a hint of urgency and complexity hidden in his deep eyes.

Without thinking much, Qiao Xi casually replied, "If I didn't shield you, wouldn't all the soup have spilled on you?"

"What if..." Qi Jincheng gripped her waist even tighter with a serious expression. He could see the unadorned sincerity and certainty in Qiao Xi's eyes.

Qiao Xi waited for a long time but didn't get the second half of his sentence, so she could only ask herself, "What if what?"

Qi Jincheng asked in a heavy tone, "Do you know what the consequences would be if the soup were boiling hot?"

Qiao Xi hugged his neck tightly and replied without hesitation, "It's good that A-Jin is alright."

In this life, she must protect him completely, even at the cost of her life.

So when that happens, her body reacts much faster than her brain.

"Why?" Qi Jincheng's voice grew deeper, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Qiao Xi blinked and asked him, "What do you mean, why?"

"Why did you block it for me?" Qi Jincheng had already gotten the answer he wanted, but at this moment he was still so dissatisfied, so eager to clarify her feelings.

Didn't he just ask that question?

Qiao Xi looked into his eyes and roughly understood what he wanted to ask.

"I love you." Qiao Xi tilted her head back, cupped his face, and looked him in the eye defiantly, asking, "I want to have a relationship with you, the kind that's all-consuming. Do you dare?"

Qi Jincheng looked at her with a determined gaze and replied, "Then I will definitely risk my life to accompany you."

Qiao Xi smiled brightly and kissed him on tiptoe, but Qi Jincheng remained firm. He gently pinched her chin and emphasized to her in an unquestionable tone, "You are not allowed to do this again."

"But that's my body's instinctive reaction. Even if a knife were flying at me today, I would still catch it." Qiao Xi looked troubled, but she was telling the truth.

Qi Jincheng said in a serious tone, "This bad habit must be corrected."

Qiao Xi said, somewhat unconvinced, "Is protecting the person you love a bad habit?"

"I don't need Xi'er's protection; it's my duty to protect Xi'er." Qi Jincheng picked up Qiao Xi and sat her on the dressing table, telling her this with a serious expression.

Qiao Xi replied without hesitation, "It's okay, it doesn't matter who protects whom."

“It’s different.” Qi Jincheng said to her resolutely, “In short, if you encounter danger again in the future, Xi’er must stay far away.”

"I can't do it." Qiao Xi refused decisively. She helped Qi Jincheng recall, "Husband, do you remember what I said to you on our wedding night?"

"If anything bad happens, it'll come at me. I'll shield you from it, I... um..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Xi's lips were sealed with a kiss.

Just when she was about to suffocate from the kiss, Qi Jincheng finally let her go and gave her some fresh air.

"If Xi'er dares to talk nonsense again, I'll punish you." Qi Jincheng warned her in the most doting tone, his hand on Qiao Xi's waist, and he lowered his head to kiss her again.

Qiao Xi felt that this time he wanted more than just a kiss, so she quickly put her finger to his lips. "Not here, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting for us to come over for dinner."

As Qi Jincheng made his final, serious remark, "Remember what I'm saying now: as long as Xi'er is alright, I will be alright too."

No matter what happened before or what will happen in the future, from this moment on, Qiao Xi is his life!

Qiao Xi nodded vigorously in understanding and said cooperatively, "I know, my nagging husband."

Inside the restaurant, Qi Jili ate while waiting. Almost half an hour had passed, and he asked anxiously, "Why aren't you back yet?"

Shen Zhi Qiu already knew from Lan Ya Tou that they had gone to the room; who knows what might happen between the young couple.

"What's the rush? Let them be," Shen Zhi Qiu said calmly, fully aware of the situation.

Qi Jili was simply worried about them. "I'm just worried that my granddaughter-in-law might get hurt again."

“Xiao Jin is here,” Shen Zhi Qiu reminded him intentionally.

“That’s true,” Qi Jili echoed.

Five minutes later, Qi Jincheng made a dazzling entrance, holding Qiao Xi's hand.

Qiao Xi wore a light gray cheongsam embroidered with lotus flowers. The dress seemed to be tailor-made for her, and her light makeup made her look exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Seeing her was like seeing her younger self, and she couldn't help but praise, "Our Xi'er is so beautiful."

Qiao Xi didn't expect the little girl to bring such a dress. She hesitated for a moment before putting it on, not because she disliked it, but because she was worried that she wouldn't look good in it. After all, she had never worn a cheongsam before and was afraid that she wouldn't be able to pull it off.

However, she was very curious about where the cheongsam came from. It seemed that her grandmother had asked Lan to fetch it from her room, so the dress belonged to her grandmother.

To verify her guess, Qiao Xi still asked tentatively, "Grandma, what are these clothes...?"

Shen Zhi Qiu said with a smile, "It's a treasured possession from my youth."

When Qi Jili saw Qiao Xi wearing this outfit, he was instantly reminded of Shen Zhi Qiu in her youth. Even the phrase "peerless beauty" couldn't describe how she looked when she first appeared before him.

He said with emotion, "Your grandma wouldn't even let me touch her."

"Then I..." Qiao Xi suddenly felt that she was not worthy of this dress and had an urge to take it off and return it to her grandmother immediately.

Without hesitation, Shen Zhi Qiu grabbed Qiao Xi's hand and said, "It's yours."

Qiao Xi quickly refused, "It's too expensive."

This garment is from decades ago, but it doesn't look out of style at all now. Considering the fabric and craftsmanship, a piece like this would probably be priceless today.

Shen Zhi Qiu shook his head slightly and said, "I will never have the chance to wear it again in my life."

"How could that be?" Qiao Xi looked at Shen Zhi Qiu with admiration and said, "I've seen photos of Grandma when she was young. She hasn't changed much compared to now. In fact, I think Grandma is even more beautiful now."

These words amused Shen Zhi Qiu, who chuckled and said, "Our Xiao Xi has such a sweet tongue."

Qiao Xi added earnestly, "I'm telling the truth."